This lil panini press definitely gets the job done. It upgrades my boring sandwiches into hot little morsels from heaven. But it is very far from perfect. On taking it out of the box, I couldn't tell if it had been used or made in the most crazy, destructive, dysfunctional factory in the world. It had quite a few little dings and scratches on the plastic handles. It is so disappointing to wait for something to come in the mail, get excited about it and have it come out of the box looking like someone else returned it the day before they sent it out to me. Luckily, the grey "stainless steel" surface was fine and still protected in factory plastic. I'd been craving a panini for a week and didn't feel like dropping another 10$ at the cafe down the street, so I bit the bullet, washed it VERY thoroughly and it's now sitting on my counter. One of the reasons I gravitated towards this model was the price and that is advertised as having a floating hinge, which in my understanding, means that the top lid comes down directly on top of the sandwich, ie like a press should, and would not come down at any kind of angle like the George Forman grill. There is a slight swivel, but all in all, it comes down at an angle and depending on how tall the sandwich is, pushes the contents off. If I had seen this product before purchase, I probably would've just picked up a George Forman grill of the same size for half the price. The only differences, in my opinion, are that it looks better sitting on the counter than a Forman grill and the way this grill can open flat (for flat grilling on both the top and bottom grill) . But it is a feature I haven't used and probably won't ever use. Bottom line, I think this model is a glorified and overpriced George Forman Grill, and if I could do it again, I would either buy the George Forman Grill or spend double than what I spent to get a better product.
I ordered this to replace an older George Foreman grill. I could not be happier with this product. This is so much more than just a great panini press. I have used it to grill chicken breasts, pprk chops, burgers, et.. This is a great alternative to using my outdoor grill during the winter months. It heats up quickly, cooks evenly and, best of all, the removable plates make cleaning so much easier than what I had before.
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I bought this on sale at TJ Maxx (the only one I ever saw there) for only $24.00.) At that price, I had to try it, and am I glad I did! I pre-seasoned the grill with a bit of olive oil on a paper towel, wiping off the excess. I have used it about 10 times since and have had absolutely no problems with cleaning or grilling, tho' thus far I have only made sandwiches. When I am finished and while the grill is still hot, I simply take a piece of paper towel and wipe off the griddle. Even melted cheese comes right off, and it takes me less than a minute to have the whole thing spotless again. And no, I do not butter the bread, or use any additional oil, which is another great thing....no added grease!) I have never even had to remove the plates for cleaning. I loved the hinged lid; it makes it very easy to put a fat sandwich on and have the whole thing compressed nicely. I use thick cheese, and it melts easily and evenly. This is such a snap to use I keep it on my counter, even tho' I tend to like the uncluttered look. I would highly recommend this machine. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of more expensive machines (such as temperature controls) but I find that I don't need them. If you are looking for a panini machine to make panini, and not looking for a one machine does everything kind of appliance, I can't imagine that you won't be thrilled with this. It's sure got me hooked on hot sandwiches, especially with cold weather just around the corner.
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Somehow I thought the top part of this unit would rotate just a bit so it would lay flat on top of the sandwich I want to grill. But it doesn't. Anything more than about 1" has to be turned around halfway through to get the outside edges grilled as well as the original inside ones. It works well and the vendor was just fine but I am disappointed with it. Wish the top rotated more.
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I love how this grill opens up flat to two grilling surfaces for burgers, chicken or fish. It has a place for the fat to drain like a Foreman Grill only the clean up is much easier. I have enjoyed many panini sandwiches such as a tuna melt, chicken articoke spinach, and turkey BLT. They were all delicious and toasted to perfection. I found it was better to butter the bread first even though the intructions say you dont need to. I had trouble at first getting the top of the grill to lay flat on the entire piece of bread which left it mostly toasted on one side. But I use a hot pad to move and tilt the top grill at an angle so that it lays flat and toasts the bread evenly. The grills slide off easily when a button for each grill is pressed. The easy non-stick surface wipes clean. I dont regret purchasing this grill. It has been a fun tool in the kitchen.
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Saw this model in my local True Value yesterday $20.00, which at the time wasn't priced to make me pull the trigger. It is basically a redesign of their Weber 6474 Barbecue Apron, Black $10, Two medium sized pockets right in front with an adustable neck strap; meaning...the side strap and the neck strap are all one piece, you pull on the side to make the neck smaller and vice versa. The old Weber 2 pocket looked really "blah", black with a red kettle, but this new model looks classy with the Weber logo bordered by two pieces of gray accents.
